It’s Good Theater, Although a Little Dated

invited my 14-year-old daughter, a musical theater enthusiast who knows every word of “Hamilton” by heart, to be my date at the Berkshire Theatre Group’s production of “Fiorello!” I performed in the chorus of my school’s production nearly 40 years ago, and I wanted to share my enthusiasm for the catchy tunes and clever and funny songs, created by the writers of one of her other favorites, “Fiddler on the Roof.”  I even thought she’d appreciate the parallels with her beloved “Hamilton.” 

Like “Hamilton,” “Fiorello!” is about history and politics: the story of an idealistic, somewhat arrogant young upstart from New York City trying to create a better government, with a love triangle in the background. It even won the Tony and the Pulitzer.

To whet her interest, I played her a few of the songs, the rollicking “Politics and Poker” and hilarious “Little Tin Box,” both about corrupt back-room political bosses, and the gorgeous “Til Tomorrow.”  She was not impressed, decreeing it an “Old person’s musical.” She particularly disliked the women’s songs such as “I’m Gonna Marry the Very Next Man.” To her they seemed hopelessly dated.

So I left my ungrateful child behind and trekked, solo, to Stockbridge’s Unicorn Theatre last weekend to see the mostly young (right out of college) and extremely talented cast tackle a neglected classic.

“Fiorello!” covers the early career of Fiorello LaGuardia, longtime mayor of New York City. Best known for breaking the stranglehold of the corrupt Tammany Hall and reforming city government, he was beloved for gestures like reading the daily funnies over the radio during a newspaper strike. The show picks up before World War I, when Fiorello ran a small law office that specialized in helping the poor and downtrodden. He guides a group of striking seamstresses to get their demands for a living wage, and rides his success to a seat in Congress.  But he is abrasive, obnoxious and completely clueless about the women in his life.

The songs in “Fiorello!” are among the best in music theater, with enchanting ballads, bouncy brassy numbers and a selection of dream ballets, ethnic dances and barbershop harmonies to keep things lively.  

But my daughter had a point: The balance between politics and love story is the opposite of Hamilton, lots more love, much less politicsand the female roles are a bit infuriating: LaGuardia’s assistant Marie is little more than a lovelorn second fiddle, and the woman he marries, Thea, has only a little to do (though her song, “When Did I Fall In Love,” is truly lovely).  So  how to watch a show like that in 2016? Hum along, roll my eyes at lines like “we just go along with our men” and enjoy.

It helped that some of the performers were perfectly cast: standouts were Chelsea Groen as Dora, the spunky young striker who falls for the cop who harasses the strike, and Dan Cassin, as the dimwitted cop, Floyd, who never realizes that his loyalty to his Tammany bosses, while providing him with a penthouse and a stellar career in the garbage industry, is leading him into some pretty sketchy territory. Both have terrific voices and great chemistry. Rebecca Brudner as Thea and Katie Birenboim as Marie shine too. Austin Lombardi as Fiorello captures the ambition, temper and rudeness of the character but was less successful finding a way to make you root for him, and he often seemed to either step on his castmates’ lines or wait a beat or two too long. His timing seemed off all evening.

Ultimately, Rylan Morsbach as Ben, the  Republican boss responsible for picking his district’s Congressional candidates, stole the show. Though he must be in his early 20s, he pulled off playing the grizzled old party hack with aplomb.

The choreography and staging were hampered by the tiny stage at the Unicorn, with cast members constantly moving chairs and even the miniaturized skyscrapers around, and often the dancing was reduced to just marching in a circle. The musical accompaniment, only piano and violin, was excellent, though I missed the brass section. Finally, the show succeeds on the strength of its top-notch songs and terrifically talented performers.

“Fiorello!” runs at the Berkshire Theatre Group’s Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, MA, through July 23. For tickets and information, call 413-997-4444 or go to www.tickets.thecolonial
theatre.org.

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